Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Looming Threat Of Tuberculosis: U.S. Is ‘Right At The Edge Of Cliff’

A small uptick in TB cases worries experts — and they say the current levels of funding and infrastructure can't handle an outbreak. In other public health news, calcium supplements increase women's risk for heart disease; depression often tags along with autoimmune diseases; a look at lupus and pregnancy; and more stories.

Stat:
Night Sweats, Bloody Cough — And A Diagnosis That Turned A Doctor Into An Activist
TB remains rare in the US: there are just three cases per 100,000 people. And the increase in 2015 is proportional to population growth. Still, experts are worried. The last time we saw such an uptick in the raw number of annual cases was in 1992, the worst year of a TB resurgence linked to big cuts in public health budgets and the spread of HIV, which destroys immune systems. Each case of TB creates a monumental amount of work. Public health officials have to track down and test everyone who may have been exposed. They also have to monitor each patient to make sure they’re swallowing their daily handful of toxic pills. If the patients don’t complete treatment, the bacteria that cause TB could become drug-resistant. But some experts worry that the public health infrastructure can no longer handle the caseload. (Boodman, 10/18)

The Washington Post:
Calcium Supplements Could Increase Risk Of Heart Disease, New Study Finds
Calcium supplements that many women take to boost bone health increase their risk for heart disease, a new study has found. The results show that calcium supplements make people more prone to plaque buildup in arteries, which contributes to the risk of a heart attack. The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, is the latest salvo in a nearly decade-long debate about whether the supplements do more harm than good. (McDaniels, 10/17)

The Washington Post:
Depression Sometimes Accompanies Autoimmune Diseases
Some people with auto­immune diseases also suffer from depression, mood disorders and cognitive impairment. This happens when certain autoantibodies cross the blood-brain barrier, the body’s natural blocking mechanism for protecting the brain, and attach themselves to specific receptors on brain chemicals that carry information between brain cells. (Cimons, 10/17)

The Washington Post:
Lupus And Pregnancy: New Treatments Steer Clear Of Birth Defects
“Twenty-five years ago, a woman with lupus probably would not have considered having kids, because she simply couldn’t physically take care of them” because of crushing fatigue that often is part of the disease, says Eliza Chakravarty, a rheumatologist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. “But today, for many of these women, it’s not only feasible to have kids, but desirable.” Earlier diagnosis and medications now enable women with lupus to slow down the progression of their disease and treat many of the symptoms, enabling them to “live more fully in their lives,” she says. (Cimons, 10/17)

Los Angeles Times:
Why Infants Pay More Attention To People Who Speak Their Native Language
As anyone who’s tried to befriend a baby knows, the very young are a tough crowd. In response to your solicitous babble, a baby might lock eyes with you. Just as likely, though, she’ll stare insistently into an empty distance, spit up, or dispatch you with a wail of protest. New research suggests that babies are highly selective — discriminating even — in whom they will pay attention to. And even before their first birthdays, this research shows, babies distinguish between “people like me” and all others. (Healy, 10/17)

Chicago Tribune:
How One Chicken Company Is Kicking The Antibiotic Habit
As of this week, all Perdue Farms chicken products in Chicago will be sold under the claim "No Antibiotics Ever," a subtle shift in the grocery store that represents a harbinger of large-scale change coming to the chicken industry. The announcement — also relevant to markets in Denver, Minneapolis, St. Louis and Milwaukee — is another step in Maryland-based Perdue's yearslong quest to rid its birds of antibiotics, a process that's ruffled some feathers along the way. For decades, antibiotics have been used in the industry to stave off sickness and fatten up birds. But such use on animals can render humans more vulnerable to bacteria, health experts have warned. (Trotter, 10/17)

Houston Chronicle:
Better To Get Flu Shot Sooner, Not Later
In the United States, the number of people contracting the flu virus, or influenza, typically begins to rise in October. The contagious respiratory illness spreads mainly by droplets made when people with the virus cough, sneeze or talk. So far, only localized flu outbreaks in the United States have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Texas, the CDC's online Weekly Influenza Summary Update indicates only sporadic instances. Flu activity is low in the Bay Area, Pasadena and Pearland/Friendswood region, say local health experts. (Jones, 10/17)

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